Valentine's Day fun facts on chocolate, candy hearts and more

Loading Photo Galleries ...

When did it all start?

There are various theories on the origin of Valentine's Day, but the most popular, according to sheknows.com, dates back to the time of the Roman Empire during the reign of Claudius II, 270 A.D. Claudius didn't want men to marry during wartime because he believed single men made better soldiers.

Bishop Valentine went against his wishes and performed secret wedding ceremonies. For this, Valentine was jailed and then executed by order of the Emperor on Feb. 14. While in jail, he wrote a love note to the jailor's daughter signing it, "From your Valentine." Sound familiar?

The ancient Romans celebrated the Feast of Lupercalia on Feb. 14 in honor of Juno, the queen of the Roman gods and goddesses. Juno was also the goddess of women and marriage.

Girls of medieval times ate bizarre foods on St. Valentine's Day to make them dream of their future spouse.

In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who would be their Valentine. They would wear this name pinned onto their sleeves for one week for everyone to see. This was the origin of the expression "to wear your heart on your sleeve."

How to make a champagne cocktail

Ingredients:

1 sugar cube

2-3 dashes Angostura bitters

Champagne

1 ounce brandy

Orange slice and Maraschino cherry for garnish

Directions:

» Place the sugar cube in the bottom of a Champagne flute.» Use the dashes of Angostura bitters to saturate the sugar cube.» Add the brandy.» Fill with champagne, and watch the sugar cube dissolve in a fountain of bubbles.» Garnish with the orange slice and cherry.

Oysters

Oysters have long been thought to have aphrodisiac properties, but very few studies have been conducted on the matter.

Askmen.com says one thing that brings credibility to the oyster myth is the fact that these slippery critters are full of zinc. Zinc controls progesterone levels, which have a positive effect on the libido.

In addition to its aphrodisiac properties, Author Aprilanne Hurley says oysters are considered one of the most nutritionally well-balanced foods as they contain protein, carbohydrates and lipids. Extremely low in calories one dozen oysters contains approximately 110 calories, and they are full of vitamins, and possess the omega-3 fatty acids that are good for our skin, brain, and muscles.

Other romantic foods

Since they are heart-shaped, strawberries make for an idea Valentine treat, especially when dipped in chocolate. Upping their romantic quality is the fact that ancient Romans associated strawberries with Venus.

The banana has long been considered a food that acts as an aphrodisiac. According to Gourmet Sleuth, there is an Islamic myth that states that Adam and Eve used banana leaves, not fig leaves, to conceal their nudity. In addition, bananas are stocked with B vitamins and potassium, both of which bolster sex hormones.

Hummus is a dish made from pureed chickpeas and a variety of spices. In the Middle East, especially, mashed chickpeas were said to increase desire, according to writer Habeeb Salloum in his novel "From the Lands of Figs and Olives." Hummus also has proven to increase circulation.

ehow.com

Chocolate history

Our infatuation with chocolate first began 2,000 years ago when it was discovered in Latin America. The Maya and Aztec elites infused cocoa beans with water to form frothy chocolate drinks for special occasions and as sacrifices to the gods. The Aztec ruler Montezuma believed that chocolate was an aphrodisiac and routinely drank it before entering his harem, thus increasing chocolate's popularity and its association with love and romance.

The rest of Aztec society used cocoa beans as money and were unable to afford to drink it. Christopher Columbus saw how the Aztecs revered cocoa and immediately took the luxury product back to Queen Isabella of Spain. Chocoholics sprouted up all over Europe, sharing the legend of their new obsession's alleged mythical powers.

Gourmet.com

Fun facts

Casanova, well known as "The World's Greatest Lover," ate chocolate to make him virile.

Physicians of the 1800s commonly advised their patients to eat chocolate to calm their pining for lost love.

By the 1800s, the Cadbury Brothers set up shop in England and began packaging candies to sell to a mainstream audience. In 1861, in a genius marketing move, Richard Cadbury created the first ever heart-shaped box for Valentine's Day, spurring the commercialization of the holiday.

More than 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold for Valentine's Day.

More than $1 billion worth of chocolate is purchased for Valentine's Day in the U.S. The world's largest Valentine's Day chocolate was made in Switzerland on Feb. 14, 2011. The chocolate was more than 60 feet long and made with 1,500 white-red chocolates.

www.sheknows.com

Talk about love

Candy hearts (the ones with the sweet messages printed on them) were first made in 1866 by candy maker NECCO; in those days, they were called Motto Hearts. According to NECCO, 8 billion of these little candies are sold between Jan. 1 and Feb. 14.